The sad truth behind Kate Middleton's paparazzi photos

We feel less than reassured

No impulse bangs have been snapped, but why doesn’t that fill us with confidence? Image: Getty

Kate Middleton has been photographed for the first time since Christmas after months spent recovering from abdominal surgery, but the images represent a heartbreaking reality. 

Where is Kate Middleton? It’s the question every news publication, staunch royalist and TikTok conspiracy theorist has been asking over the past couple of weeks. 

Despite declaring clear intentions to rest and recover after major abdominal surgery – announcing her reclusion from Royal duties until Easter – the world has seemingly been unable to accept the Palace’s official explanation.  

Consequently, the internet has been latching onto bizarre theories in a desperate attempt to explain the Princess’ sudden seclusiveness. From ‘growing out bad bangs’ to ‘covering up her death’, people all around the world have expressed both concern for her wellbeing, as well as pointed criticism of the Royal Family’s ‘gatekeeping’ of information.   

Now, new images have finally surfaced this week of the Middleton looking alive and well – except truthfully, the princess doesn’t look very well at all.  

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The paparazzi shots captured the Princess of Wales travelling by car with her mother in Windsor, seemingly on their way back from dropping the three royal children at school. More images were taken of the car returning to the Wales’ Windsor home, another very routine and public route that was unsurprisingly riddled with paparazzi. 

Sporting dark shades and an uncharacteristically strained expression, the Princess of Wales and her mother, Carole Middleton, appeared to be less than pleased. 

Given the Palace’s meticulous protection of her privacy over the last few months, the timing of these shots (and the fact that they were snapped at all) has raised a particularly troubling question: Was there a silly slip in the Palace’s privacy protocol, or were these convenient snaps the product of a forced orchestration to ease fast-spreading gossip? 

The image circulating everywhere right now. Image: Backgrid

The growing concern around Kate’s condition

A large part of being a Senior Royal today involves making frequent public appearances at foundations, charities and events – sightings that are of course documented along the way. 

And to their credit, current senior Royals (King Charles, Queen Camilla, Prince William and Kate) each execute their responsibilities with grace, professionalism and dutiful enthusiasm. Because, whether they like it or not, taking a day off from their life as a Royal is a luxury rarely asked for and rarely granted. 

So, when it was announced that the Princess of Wales was not only undergoing major surgery with little to no warning but also would be taking over three months off the clock to recover, people had more than a few things to say. 

Furthermore, the way her unnamed condition and health updates have been vaguely communicated to the public has only further exacerbated people’s concerns. 

The oxymoronic phrasing of each statement – describing her surgery as ‘planned’ but also requiring last-minute postponement of official upcoming engagements – has onlookers particularly confused, convinced the palace is attempting to downplay a condition that may actually place the future Queen at serious risk. 

Because seriously, convincing the world that Kate – a woman who not only passionately supports health and fitness causes, but also faced the public and media mere hours after giving birth to all three English heirs – needs several months to recover from a ‘planned’ procedure, is almost as hard as convincing a beagle to share a steak. 

Kate's health is the British (and global) press’ current obsession. Image: Getty

Why do we feel so entitled to royal information?

The antics and relentless hounding of the British press are notoriously brutal, especially from the perspective of the Windsors. The press can be attributed to both the untimely death of Kate’s mother-in-law Diana Spencer and the shock renouncement of Prince Harry and his Canadian wife from the institution, so it’s no surprise the Palace has up until now taken a defesive approach to protecting whatever is happening over at Windsor house right now. 

But if we’re really looking to play the blame game, some introspective examination may be needed. The near-impossible standards we hold the royals to are not only outdated but go beyond any expectations we thrust on Hollywood’s biggest names. 

Treated as celebrities, criticised as politicians and referenced as historical figures, the everyday movements of the Royals (especially the family’s women) are more or less viewed as public property. 

In any other context, a mother of three requesting a little bit of downtime and privacy while she recovers from an undisclosed procedure would simply be met with understanding and compliance. For Kate, the same appeal has been endlessly picked apart and refused, touting the ‘taxpayers’ right to information’. 

The Windsors are the future of a waning institution. Image: Instagram/@princeandprincessofwales

Is this crisis mode for the Royal Family?

Looking at the institution as it stands today, there’s no doubt the family is in a state of chaos. As one of the last functioning royal institutions left in not only Europe but the entire world, there is a certain level of uncertainty that hovers over Wales’. 

Though appearing to maintain a firm sense of composure, the last few years have been particularly tumultuous for King Charles and his crew. First, there was the shame and controversy of Prince Andrew’s public sexual assault allegations, resulting in the palace striping him of his Royal and military titles. 

Then, they were forced to endure yet another embarrassing media storm following the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s shock renouncement of their senior positions and international relocation to sunny Montecito (plus the ramifications of every tell-all interview since). 

But the biggest blow to the Royal family came in the form of the 2022 death of their matriarch Queen Elizabeth II, the longest-serving and arguably most beloved monarch in history.

To say the family is in damage control would be an understatement, but sadly, with the 75-year-old King and his daughter-in-law’s latest health setbacks, the future of the institution could be under threat. 

Either way, it's starting to feel like these paparazzi images were less of an innocent coincidence, and more of a set up opportunity to reassure the public amidst increasingly bizarre rumours, disrupting the Princess’ recovery for the sake of our peace of mind.

Originally published as The sad truth behind Kate Middleton's paparazzi photos